【Accra, Ghana】Typhoon, MKS PAMP Present First Responsible Gold Bars to Asantehene

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Editor’s Note

This article highlights a significant milestone in the gold industry—the first export of fully traceable, responsibly sourced artisanal gold from Ghana. The presentation of commemorative bars to the Ashanti King underscores the growing importance of ethical and transparent supply chains in precious metals.

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Historic Presentation of Traceable Gold

Typhoon Greenfield Development Ltd and MKS PAMP, in collaboration with Development Gold International (DGI), have presented a limited run of unique gold bars to commemorate the first export of fully traceable and responsibly produced gold sourced from Ghanaian small-scale mines.
The presentation was made on June 2 to the King of the Ashanti Kingdom, Otumfuo Nana Osei Tutu II, during a gala dinner at the Mining in Motion summit held at the Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast City in Accra.
Six bars were donated for auction, with proceeds supporting Otumfuo Nana Osei Tutu II’s charities dedicated to land restoration and clean water conservation. The event was attended by numerous dignitaries, including Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, Ghana’s Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, and mining ministers and officials from Malawi, Niger, Liberia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Guinea-Conakry, Somalia, and Côte d’Ivoire.

A Pioneering Partnership

In a historic partnership backed by the London Bullion Market Association (LBMA), the first 445 grams of gold was produced by Typhoon Greenfield Development Ltd at its Adomanu mine and exported for refining at MKS PAMP’s facilities in Switzerland.
This milestone occurred under the DGI initiative, which enables small-scale mining operations to meet international standards, specifically the Development Gold Ghana Performance Standard and the LBMA Responsible Sourcing Programme.
This achievement represents years of collaboration and marks a new era in formalizing the small-scale mining sector, positioning Ghana as a credible source of LBMA-compliant gold from small-scale miners.

Executive Perspectives
“This is a major milestone in the Ghanaian gold industry that has been many years in the making… It signals the serious intention of small-scale miners in Ghana to meet international standards and of LBMA Good Delivery List (GDL) refiners to recognise Ghana as a source of formal and responsible gold from small-scale mines. Our goal is to reduce environmental degradation and enable these miners to access responsible gold markets globally at scale.”

— Max Afriyie-Barwuah, President of Development Gold International (DGI)

“We are thrilled to pioneer this home-grown Ghanaian responsible mining initiative DGI, and the first small-scale mining business to have our operations assessed to the Development Gold Ghana Performance Standard. Doing so has opened the opportunity to work with the most respected businesses in the international gold market… Partnering with DGI has also assisted us operationally, building our team’s capacity and enhancing our operating systems for greater efficiency and management of our mines’ environmental and social aspects.”

— Kwaku Afrifa Nsiah-Asare, CEO of Typhoon Greenfield Development Ltd

“This partnership represents a significant step forward for responsible sourcing in the artisanal and small-scale mining sector in Ghana. We’re proud to support this initiative and look forward to continued collaboration with our partners in Ghana to scale these efforts and inspire similar initiatives globally.”

— Omar Liess, Chief Commercial Officer of MKS PAMP

“The LBMA is encouraged by this announcement. This is exactly the kind of initiative LBMA supports. Ghana is paving the way for similar arrangements between small-scale producers working with GDL refineries in a range of countries.”

— Ruth Crowell, Chief Executive of the LBMA

The Development Gold Ghana Performance Standard

DGI’s Development Gold Ghana Performance Standard was developed with mining industry experts at TDi Sustainability to independently assess and verify the responsible practices of small-scale gold miners. The standard aims to create opportunities for Ghana and other nations to redefine small-scale gold mining, addressing a history of illegal mining that has led to ESG issues like deforestation, pollution, water contamination, habitat loss, safety risks, and social instability.
The initiative enhances the traceability of the gold supply chain through DGI’s tech mine-to-export platform, MineTrace, while ensuring environmentally sustainable and socially responsible mining practices.

“DGI is doing something very important; providing an indigenous Ghana-appropriate, progressive good-practice framework facilitating mine-site improvement at small-scale mines. It is creating an assurance process to demonstrate compliance with international due diligence expectations and, crucially, the technical assistance and capacity development support to uplift this vital sector for the country.”

— Assheton Carter, Executive Chair of TDi Sustainability

LBMA’s Role and Global Context

The LBMA launched its responsible artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) programme in 2022, aiming to facilitate more responsibly sourced ASM gold into the LBMA Good Delivery List (GDL). The LBMA has identified Ghana as one of four countries globally with the most promise for increasing the flow of responsibly produced ASM gold to GDL refineries.

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⏰ Published on: June 07, 2025